Lentil Soup to warm you up this Michigan Winter

During the winter you will always find a pot of soup on at my house. I am someone who can eat the same thing the entire week. Lucky for me my husband is the same way. Unfortunately, he is not as adventurous with the variety of foods he eats so we often eat two entirely different meals. Mine on the healthy side and his not so much...... I'm trying to convince him that when I say he needs to eat veggies potatoes don't count. He's a work in progress
This weeks soup is a oldie but goodie in my soup pot. I make this Lentil soup at least 2-3 times a winter, it's very versatile. You can either eat it as a Meatless Monday soup/ vegetarian recipe by omitting the meat; Or you can add ground beef or ground turkey. I add grass fed organic beef when my body tells me I need the beef, but normally I use ground turkey. Soup and salad makes a great warm me up winter lunch or dinner.

Lentil Soup

Ingredients

1 lb grass fed ground beef or organic turkey

2-3 diced carrots

1 small onions diced

1 clove garlic- minced

4 cups of vegetarian broth (About 2 cartons)

1 16 oz can of stewed diced tomatoes

1/2 cup portabella mushrooms- sliced

3/4 cup dry lentils

2 celery stalks - diced

2 TBSP parsley- I use fresh

2 tsp Pink Salt

2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp pepper

1 bay leaf

Brown meat, onions and mushroom.  Add all ingredients into slow cooker and cook on medium for 4 hours.  Discard bay leaf

* Always use organic vegetables, meat and broth if possible.

Happy Thanksgiving

Wow, where did this year go?  I have heard this everywhere this week.
Can't believe it is Thanksgiving already.  I believe we truly have so much to be thankful for. I was challenged this year to think of 3 things daily that I am thankful for before bed each night. You know what happened?  I woke up with a grateful heart.

I have been asked to start food blogging again on a "normal" basis; and what better day than the one where we give thanks. While I won't be posting my entire dinner, I will give you some highlights.

Between fall and spring, I truly cannot tell you which is my favorite.  Spring is the start of new beginnings of course farm markets abound. Who can't love that?
But Fall has a special place in my heart, um stomach :).  The fall harvest has some of my favorites that I make throughout the winter as long as they are available.
One of the things I grab as soon as I see them is Cranberries.  I freeze them to put in smoothies and they are the star in many baked goods as well as fresh dishes for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

So the Star of this blog post will be none other than Cranberries!!

Growing up we knew nothing other than cranberry sauce in a can.  As I became an adult foodie who loves fresh and organic fair I make my "Cranberry Sauce" more like a chutney than a jellied sauce.

Ingredients:

3 cups fresh cranberries
Juice of 1 lemon
1 granny smith apple diced
1 cup frozen mango (pineapple would work well too)
1 cup chopped almonds (almonds, walnuts or pecans work well)
1 Tbsp cinnamon
3 Tbsp Grade A maple syrup
1/4 cup water


Put 2 cups of cranberries in food processor and blend till well chopped.  Add remaining ingredients except water to food processor . As 'sauce' starts to get to consistency of almost a dough add water till desired consistency achieved.  I like mine between apple sauce and a chutney. I like to still be able to crunch into the nuts.  I hope this becomes a favorite in your home too.
* Use organic where possible

How to video
https://www.facebook.com/cpozek/videos/10207418923621667/

Yay!!!! Summer is finally here!! You know what that mean? Fresh Produce!!

I know corny (pun intended) but I love going to the farmers markets and road side farm stands. The smell of fresh produce cannot be beat.  The fresh veggies and fruit actually smell Delicious; which means the flavor will be VERY intense.   Tomatoes that smell like tomatoes and of sorts of veggies that don't smell like Roundup.
Yes you can smell that if you get pesticides and other chemicals out of your diet and you will feel a whole lot better as well.

Spiralized Zucchini Noodles:

So my latest kitchen gadget love is my Spiralizer.  Nothing fancy, although there are a ton of them out there.  Mine was a mere $12 without coupon from BBB and fits nicely in a kitchen drawer.

The reason I bought it was to make spaghetti noodles out of Zucchini, but you can use it for so much more.  I'll post more recipes as the Summer progresses.
But today we are talking spaghetti noodles.  This is the cheapest and tastiest noodle you will every make. Oh and did I say how easy it is. Easy breezy lemon squeezey as my Husband would say.

There are so many benefits to using zucchini as noodles, even if you aren't trying to take gluten or carbs out of your diet; both of which are still advantages all by themselves. But they are also much more nutritious for your body, tons of vitamins, fiber, you use up all the zucchini your garden produces in the summer so your giving less away; they have way less calories and my ultimate favorite, you can eat spaghetti and when you get up from the table you don't get that bloated feeling that makes you miserable for hours and want to take a nap.

Here it is. THAT'S IT!!
All you do it put the Zucchini in and turn. It makes long delicious noodles.

RECIPE:

Noodles:
1 Organic Zucchini per 2 people

Pasta Sauce;

5-6 Organic or locally grown Roma tomatoes
1 - 12 oz can organic tomato sauce- will give it a better texture
1- 6oz can organic tomato paste
1 medium onion - diced
1 large clove onion
1 LB fresh portabella mushrooms- diced
1 Medium Green Pepper- diced (I like larger chunks)
Optional: If you are trying to get more veggies in your families diet, grate/chop a couple carrots to add to blender, they'll never know it's in there
Option 2: If you like to juice and have left over pulp, this is a great place to add that fiber back into your diet, add it to the blender when adding other ingredients. It will add a ton of flavor. Just be sure it doesn't contain strong flavors such as ginger.

Spices: If using fresh double the amount
1 -TBS parsley
1-TBS oregano
1 -TBS Basil - if fresh, 1/2 handful
Salt/Pepper to taste

Put all ingredients in food processor, except mushrooms and green peppers - I use my Vitamix and process till smooth. Hint: I saute my onions first. I don't like the taste of raw onions, and even though we are cooking this, the caramelized onions gives it a depth of flavor.

Saute mushrooms, then add green peppers and pour tomato mixture over mushrooms. Bring to boil, then turn down heat and simmer till sauce is desired thickness.

When sauce is done pour over raw zucchini noodles.  That's right!!! Raw. The hot sauce will cook the noodles until Al Dente' and won't be soggy.  I really do not like zucchini that is cooked because it is soggy and slimy.  This one taste is amazing. Top with Parmesan cheese if you desired.

Note; This is a great #vegetarian option for #meatless #Monday's, but if you want to add meat, add ground round or ground turkey to mushrooms and brown together then add sauce.  Both ways are amazing

Thai Chicken Chowder with Carrot Noodles

Serves 8

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons Coconut oil

One can of Coconut milk (Lite if you are using chicken, full fat if you are omitting chicken)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 lbs boneless Chicken thighs cut into bite sized pieces
1 butternut squash, seeded peeled and cubed (3-4 cups)
1 (160z) jar roasted salsa – medium heat.  Hot takes flavor away and mild doesn’t have enough zing
4 cups Chicken Broth
5 large carrots, made into flat noodles with a mandolin

Onion diced

Sliced portabella mushrooms

1 Tablespoon lime juice
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Instructions:

In a large soup pot, place the coconut oil over medium high heat. Add the onion, mushrooms, garlic and chicken and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Add the butternut squash cubes. Continue to cook for 5 minutes. Add jar of salsa and chicken broth and bring to a low boil.
Wash the carrots, and then use a mandolin to create long, flat “noodles”. Add to the pot. Reduce to a simmer and cover for 40 minutes.

Use an immersion or regular blender to puree ½ of the vegetables. Add most of the cilantro, saving just enough to garnish each bowl. 
Serve warm, I served it with Black Bean chips, YUM!

Healthy Gluetin-Free Hot Breakfast

Beginning Each & Every Day with Breakfast is very Important to keep our bodies healthy. I usually start with an *Arbonne Protein Shake.  My favorite is the Vanilla Powder, Pumpkin, Cinnamon and to make it a complete meal, I add a healthy fat, like coconut oil.

But as the cooler weather of fall and winter set in here in Michigan I like something hot. So I make this Porridge type cereal.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

1/4 cup of Gluetin-Free Ground Flax Meal
2 Scoops Vanilla *Arbonne Protein Powder
Cinnamon to taste.
Hot water - amount will depend on how thick or thin you want your cereal.
*Blanched Almonds or Pumpkin seeds.
1/4 cup of Canned Pumpkin

Instructions:

Boil water.  In a bowl, combine Flax Meal, Protein Powder and Cinnamon.  Add boiling water and stir till thick paste forms.  Add pumpkin. This is where you need to adjust as desired.  I like mine like a thick oatmeal. Make sure you dig deep from the bottom to get all the dry ingredients mixed in.
When desired consistency add Almonds.

 *I like to use Arbonne Protein Powder.  It is whey free, dairy free, Non-GMO, gluetin free, certified Vegan, only has 7 grams of cane sugar (The same amount in a green apple) and has a ton of vitamins in it. And best of all, it tastes AMAZING!!!
*Blanched Almonds are easily digested, are better for you and taste great.  Adding them last will keep them from getting too soft as they are already soft and I like the crunch.
*Only use Pumpkin when in season, when it is not, omit and add another ingredient, like dried cranberries or raisins.

**If you are interested in purchasing Arbonne Protein Powder, please feel free to contact me cpozek@gmail.com and feel free to go to my website: CherylPozek.Arbonne.com

Tomatillo Chicken

Have you ever gone into the fruit market and seen something and said, "What in the world is that and what is it used for?"  An example maybe a Tomatillo.

Tomatillos are also called "tomate verde" in Mexico (which means green tomato) and are considered a staple in Mexican cooking. It is a plant of the nightshade family, related to the cape gooseberry, bearing small, spherical and green or green-purple fruit of the same name. They are not very pretty, but they are tasty.

Tomatillos chicken can be made as a hot sauce or a mild sauce, although tomatillos are not hot alone, you have to add hot to make it a hot sauce.




Ingredients:

2 Boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 Tomatillos
1 Tomato
1 Jalapeno (seeded)
1 Small onion
1 Garlic clove
Cumin 1 tsp.
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

Chicken: 
Cut chicken breasts in half and use meat mallet and flatten to 1/2 inch- just try not to rip meat.  I use plastic wrap or parchment paper over the top to protect meat.
Season with salt, pepper and cumin on both sides and in a screaming hot pan (I use cast iron), brown chicken on both sides.

Tomatillo Sauce:
Dice onions and sauté until just about translucent.  Remove outer paper skin and cut tomatillos, tomato, and garlic in large chunks and add to onions.  Cut Jalapeno in half, if you want sauce hot, just dice and add to pan.  If you desire a medium hot sauce, take out half of the seeds, if you want mild, take out all seeds.  Heat and the add veggies until almost soft.  Put contents of pan into your food processor and blend until smooth.

Pour over chicken. Heat through. Great served over riced cauliflower (put cauliflower in a food processor pulse till as small as rice) brown rice or Quinoa.

Reserve some of the sauce to make fish taco recipe –(recipe to follow in August)

Zucchini Hummus

You asked for it, here it is:  My version of Hummus with Zucchini instead of Garbanzo beans. I'm not saying that Garbanzo beans are bad for you, but to get more veggies in your diet and to cut some calories you can use Zucchini.   (1 cup of Garbanzo beans has 295 calories, one cup of chopped Zucchini has 20 calories).  Besides, what else are you going to make with all the Zucchini you grew this summer after you’re sick of Zucchini bread? (Smile)

Now if you are on my 28 day Detox boot camp, by all means, use the garbanzo beans, about 2 cans, as you will need the calories,

Ingredients:

2 large Zucchini’s chopped into large chunks (Now if they are longer than your arm, use one) (If using Garbanzo beans use 2 cans)

½ cup of raw organic sesame seeds

1 -2 cloves of garlic – minced (this is based on taste – I like a lot of garlic)

Juice of one whole lemon

2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 Tbsp. Nutritional Yeast seasoning

Water as needed

Directions

Combine all ingredients in food processor and pulse slowly as to not work the processor to hard.  Add water as need to thin out mix.  If processor slows too much, add water.  I like my hummus smooth.

Note:

Zucchini has a lot of water already in it, so don’t add too much water or it will be too thin.  If this happens, add a more sesame seeds.  Hummus is great with raw veggies and makes a low fat, low calories snack.

High in fiber, water, vitamin A, vitamin C and potassium, zucchini offers an abundance of nutrients to support your health. The water and fiber in this tender summer squash help you manage your weight by providing low-calorie volume. Its vitamins and minerals boost your immune system and promote the health of your heart, skin, lungs and eyes. To make the most of this vegetable's nutritional value, include its nutrient-rich skin.

Next week I will be posting my Tabbouleh recipe where I use Quiona instead of cracked wheat